MIRAMAR BEACH, Fla. — Georgia basketball coach Mike White kept using the word “momentum” on Tuesday, and a look at next year’s projected NCAA men’s tournament explains why.

ESPN “Bracketology” guru Joe Lunardi has White’s 2025-26 Bulldogs team projected to make the Big Dance a second consecutive year after last season’s team battled though a historically dominant SEC league to earn a No. 9 seed.

Georgia brings back seven players from last season’s team -- the first UGA squad to make the NCAA tourney in 10 years. Blue Cain, Somto Cyril, Dylan James and Justin Abson are among those returning players and remain at the heart of the winning culture White has built.

White said on Tuesday at the SEC Spring Meetings at the Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa that he feels good about the incoming players, too.

“I like our depth, I like the balance in terms of the classes, (and) this will be a much older, much more experienced team than a year ago,” said White, who will begin offseason workouts next week with what will be his fourth UGA team.

“I like the three freshman we’re bringing in complemented by the five guys we got out of the portal.”

Saint Mary’s transfer guard Jordan Ross is a sure-fire impact player, as is BYU transfer forward Kanon Catchings.

“The two areas we improved the most, at least on paper, are 3-point makes and percentages based on career numbers, and assist-turnover ratio all take a major jump positively,” White said. “Hopefully we can rebound it as well, and be as good defensively, but be a little bit different.”

Georgia loses projected first-round pick Asa Newell and point guard Silas Demary Jr., who wound up transferring to UConn.

But as White noted, next season’s Bulldogs will be getting up and down the floor a lot more.

“We’ll be smaller, we’ll be faster, but those two offensive categories (3-point shooting and assist-turnover ratio) will be significantly improved,” he said. “We’ll be in the open floor more, we’ll push tempo a lot more, we won’t play as big, we’ll play smaller lineups, four guard lineups, and lineups where four guys can shoot it.

“If some of these younger guys can make a jump this fall, than we can play five guys on the perimeter a little bit. We’ll be a better passing team and be a better shooting team.”

White said incoming freshman Jacob Wilkins, son of UGA and Atlanta Hawks legend Dominique Wilkins, has already caught his eye.

“Jacob Wilkins, we’ve all seen videos of him, and his highlights are really high,” White said. “Like his father, just a really talented, high-ceiling guy.”

White also talked up his coaching staff, which he believes will get an immediate boost from the addition of former Florida Atlantic assistant Todd Abernathy

“He’s a guy that coached in the SEC, he’s a former All-SEC player, he’s coached in the Final Four,” said White, who was Abernathy’s position coach for three years at Ole Miss. “He does a really good job with recruiting, player development and scouting — but the international (recruiting) piece is a strength and is unique for him, and it’s coming more and more into play in today’s landscape.

“I think we have momentum going into next season.”

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